Faith In Practice, a Houston-based non-profit organization that
provides medical and dental services to the poor, has expanded the
surgery center at Obras Sociales del Santo Hermano Pedro in Antigua,
Guatemala. This private hospital and orphanage, owned and run by the
Franciscan order of the Catholic Church, is the beneficiary of a
$500,000 expansion project. The project was funded by donations to Faith
In Practice. The Operating Room Expansion and Renovation Campaign was
initiated in November 2004 and completed in June 2006.

Faith In Practice is inviting representatives of print and
broadcast media throughout the United States and Latin America to join
the mission team in Antigua, Guatemala, for a pediatric orthopedic
surgical trip during the week of July 8-15.

Established in 1993 by Rev. Dr. Todd Collier, Faith In Practice is
an interfaith mission organization that has supplied 142 teams of
medical, dental, surgical and family practice volunteers, specializing
in gynecology, orthopedic, ear, nose and throat, plastic, and general
surgery since its inception. The new operating suites at Hermano Pedro
will allow the Faith In Practice volunteers to continue their medical
mission work to those in need at one of the best facilities in
Guatemala.

Padre Jose Contran, a Franciscan friar based in Antigua, Guatemala,
manages the facility where more than 300 orphan children and adults
suffering from debilitating conditions live.

"The new operating rooms will allow for more complex surgical
procedures to be performed and provide room for Guatemalan surgeons to
participate with Faith In Practice surgeons from throughout the United
States. Previously, these rooms were too small to fit extra people who
wanted to observe surgeries," said Joe Wiatt, co-founder of Faith
In Practice and retired U.S. Army operating room technician.

In 2005, 554 physicians, therapists, nurses, and others who
volunteer with Faith In Practice joined with mission teams from around
the world to operate at Hermano Pedro throughout the year. Together,
they met the surgical needs of more than 4,000 patients. When its 2006
mission season is complete, Faith In Practice will have sent 614
volunteers to provide surgical care at the newly expanded facility and
to deliver medical care and surgical referrals in their rural and inner
city family practice clinics. The expansion of the surgical facility
will allow Faith In Practice to perform 20 to 25 percent more surgeries
each year.

"Through increased capacity and efficiency, we expect mission
teams to accomplish about 5,000 surgeries per year at little cost to the
Guatemalan patients, except for a small voluntary donation to the
hospital. The benefits of the new surgical center include: improved
efficiency of sterilization, larger space to accommodate time-saving
surgical equipment, new electrical and plumbing systems, a medical
computer network for a patient information database, and
air-conditioning to prevent the volunteers from becoming fatigued in the
heat," said Wiatt. "The transformation of the old surgery
rooms to the five new surgery rooms is truly a miracle for the poor of
Guatemala, bringing the best doctors and the finest equipment together
to serve in the name of Christ."

Additional Information

The renovations to the hospital came as a response to an increase
in underserved patients who were unable to find medical care and also
because of a rise in the need for more complex surgical procedures in
recent years.

Faith In Practice is co-hosting a grand opening and dedication of
the expanded facility on Saturday, June 24, at 9:30 a.m. at Obras
Sociales del Santo Hermano Pedro, located at 6 Calle Oriente N. 20 in
Antigua, Guatemala. This ceremony will be followed by an ecumenical
worship celebration at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 25, at San Francisco Church, located at the east end of 8a Calle Oriente and Calle de los
Pasos in Antigua, Guatemala, that will be attended by more than 70
doctors and Faith In Practice supporters from Houston and other areas of
the United States.

Faith In Practice secured the funds for the expansion of the
surgery center, which includes updated surgical and sterilization
equipment and five new operating rooms, through donations from
individuals, hospitals, businesses and charitable foundations throughout
the United States.

Charities, hospitals and organizations that contributed to the
renovation project include: Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable
Foundation, Citizen's Medical Center of Victoria, TX, Common Hope,
DeTar Hospital, East Georgia Regional Medical Center, First Colony
Church of Christ in Sugar Land, The Fondren Foundation, Gracely
Footprints Foundation, The GreenTree Fund, HCA, Health for Humanity, The
Hildebrand Foundation, The Hoglund Foundation, Jack H. and William M.
Light Charitable Trust, Joe T. and Billie Carol McMillan Charitable
Foundation, John P. McGovern Foundation, Medicos en Accion, Memorial
Hermann Hospital System, The Methodist Hospital of Houston, Rotary Club
of Livingston, St. John the Divine Episcopal Church in Houston, St.
Joseph's/Candler Health System of Savannah, GA, Sugar Land Rotary
Club, and Walter Oil and Gas Corporation.

For more information about Faith In Practice, volunteer
opportunities, or contributions to Faith In Practice, visit
www.faithinpractice.org, call (713) 484-5555, or send an e-mail to
development@faithinpractice.org. Faith In Practice is located at 7500
Beechnut Street, Suite 208, Houston, Texas.

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